Clean Rip
by Seravia
Summary: Kaoru wakes up without Kenshin by her side on May 14th.  All she has is a note from him which says he's left.  Tribute to May 14th.


**Clean Rip**

_Disclaimer: I don't own RK._

Kaoru snuggled closer to the warmth beside her. When she tried to turn over, she felt a comforting weight around her waist. She smiled softly in her sleep.

"Kenshin..." she murmured sleepily. She extracted an arm from beneath her blankets, reaching for her husband. Instead of caressing Kenshin's warm body, her fingers grazed the cold sheets. Kaoru frowned, opening her eyes groggily. She looked down to her waist and realized that the weight she felt earlier was simply the sheets tangled around her.

"Kenshin?" Kaoru called. There was no response. Kaoru slipped on her yukata and rose to search for her husband. She wandered through the house and dojo, but didn't find him anywhere.

_'Where could he be?'_ Kaoru wondered. As she made her way into the yard, she noticed the lock on the gate was unlatched. Kenshin would never allow himself to go to bed without ensuring the house was properly locked up. He did a nightly check, and she was positive he had done so the night before. That meant he'd gone out. But where? And why so early in the morning? Especially without telling her. He knew she got nervous when he disappeared.

_'Kenshin can take care of himself,'_ Kaoru reassured herself, wringing her hands nervously. _'I'll go start on breakfast and surprise him when he gets home. Home... Why does that word make me nervous all of a sudden?'_ Kaoru thought as she entered the kitchen. _'This is Kenshin's home. It has been for years. Since...'_

Kaoru gasped. "Since May fourteenth in the eleventh year of Meiji."

She rushed to the calendar, heart beating frantically. Her eyes darted over the number on the wall. Fourteen. May. No, it couldn't. He wouldn't! Not today. Kaoru sank to the floor, knees giving out from under her. She sat there, breath coming in short gasps, trying to ignore the memories flashing before her eyes.

She heard Kenshin's footsteps as he walked away from her. Unsteady, but never faltering.

She felt Kenshin's arms wrapping around her, holding her tightly, as if he never wanted to let go.

She heard Kenshin's voice whispering in her ear, trembling as he said, "sayonara."

Most importantly, she remembered Kenshin telling her that... that... he was home. Home. Yes, this was Kenshin's home. He wouldn't, he couldn't, leave without saying goodbye to her. He'd never done so before, and he wouldn't start now.

Kaoru leaped to her feet, racing outside, head whipping from left to right, then right to left and back again until she was sure the redhead was not in the yard. She ran to the dojo, slamming to door open, gaze dancing wildly about the empty room. With a frustrated cry, she darted back inside, throwing open the doors to ever room in the house. In desperation, she even threw back the covers of their bed as if believing Kenshin might still be hiding there. Finally, she raced to the front gate, yelling Kenshin's name until her throat felt raw. She pushed open the unlatched gate and scrutinized every passing person on the street. When she still found no sign of Kenshin, she collapsed against the front gate, tears threatening to overflow. Then, she caught sight of a piece of paper fluttering by her head. Startled, she tore the paper from the door, making sure she didn't tear the words. As her eyes flew over the note, she felt her world crash down around her.

_'Leaving. Sorry for not waking you. Don't wait up for me. - Kenshin'_

Kaoru clutched the note for dear life as she sank to the ground by the gate. Kenshin was gone. The tears finally spilled over.

Late that night, Kenshin returned and narrowly dodged a bokken whistling toward his head. He winced, rubbing his nose absently as he deduced the bokken's target.

"Kaoru?"

Kaoru's head snapped up. "Kenshin?" she murmured, blinking red, swollen eyes in disbelief.

"This one is home," Kenshin replied. The bokken clattered to the ground. Kaoru threw herself into Kenshin's arms, sobbing into his chest. Kenshin tentatively wrapped his arms around Kaoru, hoping to comfort her from whatever had her so distressed. Kaoru sobbed louder, tightening her grip around Kenshin's neck. "Kaoru, what's wrong?" Kenshin asked after it became evident that Kaoru wasn't about to enlighten him to the reason for her tears.

Kaoru pulled away, furiously wiping at her cheeks with the sleeve of her… no, his gi. "It- It was nothing, Kenshin," she said hoarsely, trying to muster a cheery smile. She'd thought she was all cried out. Evidently, she had been mistaken. Even after reading Kenshin's note, she couldn't help but hope he'd be back. She imagined him apologizing for ever trying to leave her, her greeting him with a cheerful smile, then beating him over the head with her bokken until he couldn't even say "oro!" But here he was. Home. And here she was. Crying her eyes out.

"Just tell me something, Kenshin. Why did you come back?"

"Oro? Come back?" Kenshin repeated, confusion clearly etched in his voice. "What do you mean?"

A ball of dread settled in the pit of Kaoru's stomach. "Come back. Come home. Why are you here?" Kaoru asked, her tone a bit sharper than she'd intended.

Kenshin looked more confused than ever, mouth opening and closing a couple times before he managed to speak. "Of course this one came home. This… is still this one's home, isn't it?" An edge of panic began to creep into Kenshin's voice.

Kaoru turned away from him abruptly, wiping away more tears. She refused to let Kenshin see her crying if he was leaving her. "As long as you still want it to be."

"Then… what's the problem?" Kenshin asked tentatively.

"What's 'the problem?'" Kaoru cried, spinning back around to face Kenshin. "'The problem' is that you left this morning!"

"Of course this one did. Didn't you get the note?" Kenshin replied, looking taken aback.

Kaoru gave a short, humorless laugh. She waved the tear-stained note in front of Kenshin's face. "You mean this note? The one that says you're leaving me?"

Kenshin took the note from Kaoru, scanning it. Suddenly, he laughed. "What?" Kaoru snapped.

"Kaoru, this was only part of the note. This one doesn't know where the other part of it is, but you have the wrong idea. This one left to help the police department. This one is sorry for not telling you earlier," Kenshin said gently, showing Kaoru how the top of the paper was ripped.

Kaoru opened her mouth to retaliate, but then what Kenshin said dawned on her. She narrowed her eyes, snatching the paper back from Kenshin. She inspected it carefully, realizing that in her haste to read the note's message, she had overlooked the fact that the top of the note had clearly been ripped off. "It was a clean rip," Kenshin said, wrapping an arm around his wife's shoulders.

"Until here," Kaoru added sheepishly, pointing at the corner that showed the rip. The rip was smooth, just like the other edges, except for a ragged corner.

"Until there," Kenshin agreed. He plucked the paper from Kaoru's fingers, crumpling it and throwing it to the side. He turned Kaoru to face him, looking into her eyes. "Kaoru, did you really believe that I left? For good?"

After a pause, Kaoru nodded, breaking eye contact. Kenshin caught her chin, forcing her eyes back to his. "Please don't ever think that, Kaoru. This one promises you that this dojo is this one's home. When this one married you, it was vowed 'till death do us part.' Those weren't empty words. This one is here forever." Kenshin's grip loosened on Kaoru's shoulders. "Or for as long as you want this one." Uncertainty flashed in his eyes.

Kaoru pushed him away experimentally and Kenshin stepped away, arms falling back to his side, dismay clear in his gaze. As he searched for something to say, Kaoru threw herself back into his arms, nearly knocking Kenshin off his feet in her lunge.

"I'll always want you. For eternity," Kaoru assured him, clutching her to him tightly.

"Then this one will be here. For eternity," Kenshin promised. He tried to catch Kaoru's lips for a kiss but, to his surprise, was pushed away.

"Kaoru?" he asked.

Kaoru spun on her heel and retrieved her bokken. "Kenshin…" she said sweetly, turning around to face her husband.

"Ye-Yes, koishii?" Kenshin replied hesitantly, hands rising, palms facing outward in a gesture of peace.

Kaoru tapped the bokken against her palm, her stance resembling a cat's just before it pounces. A slightly maniac gleam entered her eyes as she started toward Kenshin.

The bokken rose.

"Oro!"

**Owari**


End file.
